World Cup 2022: Counterterrorism Office warns against traveling to Qatar

International concerns continue to mount over Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup, as Doha has never sought to reassure the international community that has been monitoring Qatari human rights violations and the killing of migrant workers day in and day out.

“The Times of Israel” on Saturday issued a warning to Israelis not to consider traveling to Qatar, pointing out that nearly 15,000 Israelis have already bought tickets for the tournament; Security officials said they were concerned about the Iranian presence in Qatar.

“The Times of Israel” report noted already recommendations for Israelis not to travel non-essential to Qatar, where Iran continues to exert significant influence in the Gulf emirate, although Israel has yet to raise the warning level from 3 to 4, as the highest.

The Israeli National Security Council is scheduled to meet next week on the issue, with officials particularly concerned about Iran’s presence at World Cup events, “Israel Hayom” reported.

The Hebrew newspaper noted that nearly 15,000 Israelis have already bought tickets for the 2022 World Cup, which will be held in November due to the hot summer in Qatar.

Agencies also predicted that between 25,000 and 30,000 Israelis would travel to Qatar to attend the football match, but Israeli officials fear they could become easy targets for Iran or its proxies.

“This is a complex security challenge that requires cooperation with all Qatari authorities, which we are not sure will happen”, a security source told “Israel Hayom”.

The security source added: “Only after our meeting will we understand if and how we can deal with this challenge”, he said, noting that “many Israelis are scheduled to be there – something that never happened in a country with which we have unstable relations, to say the least”.

Qatar promised to allow visitors from each country to enter during the World Cup, provided they have tickets for at least one match, which is also true for the Israelis.

Nitzan Aurel, former head of the Counterterrorism Bureau, emphasized the travel warnings and told Channel 12 news that it was too early to issue warnings for the tournament.

Aurel said: “I don’t think they can give a warning [now] that will be relevant to the World Cup in November”, he said, noting that the CTO issues a closer warning if necessary and agrees to compensate those who have already bought tickets.

Except for the Munich Olympics in 1972, major international sporting events are not usually major targets of terrorism, Aurel said, adding that “there are many interests and those who want to go through quietly and peacefully”.